Life
by thejordanandhervices
Summary: Life. Life beginning. Life ending. Life living. Aang's gone and Katara struggles to remember what keeps her living. Kataang fluffy drabbly one-shot! Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
1. Chapter 1

Life.

Life beginning. Life ending. Life living. Everywhere she looked there was life flourishing beneath the sun. She stood there, in the middle of the wheat field, thinking how every grain she saw had life coursing through it.

Everyday lived with him gone was a day lived in sorrow. He was not dead, and that made the feeling deeper. If he had died she would have known where he was. If his spirit had crossed over she would have known he lived on. But he was gone. Taken by the very force he fought to protect.

The world took him.

He said he loved her. He said he would always return to her. But he wasn't there, wasn't there when she needed him the very most.

She collapsed into her own arms, since his were absent, and tears slowly made their way across her skin, caressing her face. The stalks came to her midriff when she was standing, but in her shrunken state, it reached above her head as she cried.

_She watched him turn to her and smile, he walked to the shore and opened his glider. He looked in her direction one last time and said, "I'll return to you." _

_She watched with a quiet smile on her tear stained face as he soared above the ocean, headed to the Earth Kingdom, he didn't even take Appa, that's how short of a trip it was supposed to be. _

As the sixth month slipped by, he had not returned. The Earth King said he had never even arrived. Katara knew Aang wasn't dead, she would have felt it, they were one, if he died she was sure she would have too.

She opened her eyes and took stalk of herself. This wasn't her! She was sitting in a field feeling sorry for herself, and had no reason to be! She had more to live for…

He may have been gone, but she had never been surer that someday he would return. He would come back; she just had to hold on to that.

Days passed…

Weeks passed…

And he still wasn't there. Time was running short and she was beginning to lose hope of return, she was shocked out of her thoughts when someone cane up behind her.

"Katara?" The voice asked.

Her heart swelled, "Yes, Aang?" she said without turning or getting up as that would have been too difficult.

"No, Katara, it's me. It's your brother. Sokka?" He asked as she didn't respond, didn't even turn to him.

She was sitting in the field again, one of Aang's favorite places once they had moved to the quaint little village in the Fire Nation. It was almost like Hama's village now that she thought about it, which she didn't like to.

"Katara, this isn't good for you. You can't keep doing this to yourself. I…I don't think…" He let his statement drop, but it was too late, Katara had known what he was going to say.

"You don't think what, Sokka?" She yelled, going into a fit of rage, "You don't think he's coming back? Is that it?" She stood, fuming in his face.

"I'm sorry, Katara. He was my brother, don't you think I miss him too?" he asked almost too quietly to hear. He hung his head in sadness and memories.

As quickly as the rage came, it faded, replaced with a deep regret, "I'm sorry, Sokka," she said, gazing at the sky, "I just don't know what I'll do if he's not back in…" she couldn't finish, wouldn't finish.

"I know, you want him back…But you can't force yourself to stay the same, can't force your situation…"

"I know," she whispered, "But I can't just let go, Sokka. I know, but you have Suki, Toph has Teo, Zuko has Mai, Ihro found Aunt Woo… I _need _him, and he'll be back before…

Just go."

"What?"

"DID I STUDDER? GO!"

And just like that she was back to sitting in the field, her arms wrapped around herself, crying. She stared up at the endless blue sky, thinking about nothing, and everything. About life. How it was given to her, how it was taken from loved ones, about giving it. Eventually day turned to evening, and as the last rays slipped from the sky she could have sworn she saw a shadow…

Time lapsed and soon she was shivering on the ground in the unseasonably cold weather, her own arms wrapped around herself. For a moment, just a moment she thought she could feel the ghost of another's arms wrap around her. But light was fading, and soon she would slip into unconsciousness, and muttered a few last words before dreams could have her, "Goodnight Aang."

"Goodnight Katara," said a voice.

She suddenly snapped somewhat awake, she was moving but her legs were dangling down in front of her, or so she suspected, as she couldn't really see them, "Aang?" She murmered.

"Yes, darling?"

"You've come back," It wasn't really a question.

"Of course I did! You didn't think I'd let you go through this alone did you?" he said.

"Go through what?" She asked, a little muddled due to a few different reasons.

"Life." It was one word but it was enough to fill nearly eight months of waiting.

He carried her back to their home where he set her down and sleep claimed her for the night. He stared at her and wondered how he had gotten through so much time without the smile that graced her lips, even in slumber.

Suddenly it dawned on him. He lived for life. His life, but mostly that he saw right before him. He lived because he knew he had something worth living for, and that's what brought him home. Strength frome something he couldn't even see.


	2. Chapter 2

**If you've been to band camp no explanation needed, if you haven't, no explanation possible. Thank you for being patient while I hit myself with my flag for the second year in a row. **

**For those who wanted more… J (inspired by my favorite band Evanescence)**

The day he walked out of the little house a terror he didn't quite understand overcame him. A feeling he hadn't gotten since the day he was shot by Azula in the back. A feeling of total loss and despair. He told her that it would be okay, that he would be back soon. He knew he was lying, that he wouldn't be back soon, if at all. But it was just a feeling, one that he wouldn't spend worrying, or worrying her. So he didn't. That was his first mistake.

"_Please don't go, I'll miss you," The suddenly and uncharacteristically irrational Katara said._

"_I have to, honey, but I promise you, I will always return to you," He had said. _

"_A-Aang, please," She looked down at herself, "I need you."_

"_Katara, it will only be for a month, just a couple of boring meetings and conferences, that's all. I won't even need Appa, it'll be so short. You've got nothing to worry about," He smiled and winked at her, told her that he loved her, then flew into the coming sun. _

_When he looked back at her she had a tortured expression on her face and he wondered what had brought it on. She was always his strong-willed Katara, what had made her cry so? This wasn't the first time he had left for a month, it was routine. Did she have the same feeling of dread?_

Those were his last coherent thoughts before he was swallowed by the massive wave that overtook him from his blindside. He hadn't seen it coming, hadn't noticed the water become increasingly choppy with the passing hours. At least, not until it was too late.

He wondered later how he could have been so careless, what with having drowned nearly four times. But memories had clouded his mind like a thick fog.

Salty liquid poured into his mouth and scorched down his throat as he tried in vain to get a breath of oxygen. Memories flashed in front of his eyes and every one of the good ones, and even some of the bad, had Katara in them somehow, whether in presence or spirit. Even the ones before the iceberg, all worth watching. The scenes kept coming but a darkness invaded the edges and the images began to slow, soon stopping altogether. He had heard about the scenes of life flashing before ones eyes, but no one ever mentioned the nothingness that followed. Maybe no one had ever come this close to death and lived. Maybe they didn't want to bring up the haunting dread that comes with the blackness and chilling silence. Either way he knew he would never forget this. And right then, he didn't believe he ever would.

It felt for him like forever passing as he tried to claw his way to the surface. Memories of the last time swam to the surface, none of them going beyond feeling the icy chill of the water. Maybe he had hit his head. Whatever happened, he wished it would happen now so he wouldn't have to think about what Katara would say, what she would feel, when they told her he would never make it home.

"I'm sorry," he said aloud before the darkness spread and his lungs burst from the lack of air.

**Break. **

"Aang. Aang, are you there? AANG!" Came an all too-loud voice from outside. Whoever they were, they weren't happy with his nonexistent response and decided to motivate him by pouring water in his face, bringing a torrent of memories.

he sat up, gasping for air, surprised he was still alive.

The woman beside him waited for for him to collect himself before speaking, "Aang," She repeated, reminding him of her presence.

"What?" he snapped.

She pinched up her face like she was annoyed with him, "If you would be so kind as to follow me, all your questions will be answered," She then got up and turned into the dense forest that surrounded the little clearing, not waiting for me to get up.

He moved to follow her, random thoughts flitting through his head before disappearing into the cockles of his mind. How did he get from the middle of the ocean to a forest? Who was this woman? Why did she want him to follow her? And most important, when could he get home to Katara?

She lead him to another, larger clearing with three men sitting on stone seats before disappearing herself. First question answered: she was no one important.

The man in the middle spoke first, he was older with white hair, and gray robes, "Aang," he breathed.

"Uh…yes?" he asked, watching him carefully. He wasn't sure who this man was, but this man sure thought he knew him.

He looked back with his eternal sad eyes as if he were looking into my grave, not my eyes. The man to the left cleared his throat. He wore the same gray robes but was younger with black hair tied in a top knot. He, too, looked sad, "Hello Aang, it's wonderful to see you again," He didn't look like he was feeling so great.

"Again?"Aang asked, "Have we met?"

The youngest of the group, maybe thirty, spoke up, "Once, a very long time ago." The all got a somewhat faraway look in their eyes as if they were sharing the same memory.

"Where am I? And why am I here? The last thing I remember is…" he let my sentence hang, not wanting to finish.

The man who first spoke returned from his little trip down memory lane and said, "Aang, you're dead."

**Don! Don! Don! Ha, I figured I might as well put some detail into it, and I couldn't very well do it in one chapter, could I? Thank you for reading. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

"Dead?" he repeated in a panic. There's no way this could be the spirit world! Before he had the chance to see if his bending works, the youngest of the group spoke up.

"No, young Avatar, you are not yet dead. But if you do not heed our warning you will never make it home to your wife and child." Said the youngest.

Child? What? Aang opened his mouth to voice his questions, but was again cut off. This time by the eldest of the three, "This is your warning, Avatar Aang: Do not take life for granted. Your ways these past few years have been questioned. Recklessness has governed your life as of late. The Avatar must live on."

"Live on? Reckless? Sure, I've been having fun since the war, but I wouldn't call it… reckless." _Yes you would. _He though.

They returned his near-hysteric gaze with their own controlled ones. "Aang, you must wake soon, but when you do, remember our words. Value life, and live on."

Aang had a whole host of questions, but before one more word was exchanged, a heaviness descended upon his brain. He tried to move his lips, but found them paralyzed. He crumpled to the ground and before he lost consciousness he saw the three men smile knowingly.

%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~

The world blurred in front of his newly-opened eyes. Images swam until a few trees and sand formed around him. It took a long time before Aang was able to force his aching muscles into a sitting position, longer before he was able to stand, and yet even longer still before he was able to successfully take to the air using his glider. He didn't know how long he was gone, if he was even gone at all, but he knew he had to get home soon. The only problem: He had no idea where he was. So he did the only thing he could. He flew.

Weeks passed. Aang ate when he needed to, didn't when he couldn't. He drank when he was able to pull fresh water from the air, and soared over the open ocean. He would find small islands, but his hair had grown to obscure his tattoo and people did not recognize him. That was okay, he didn't want people to help him only because he was the Avatar.

Finally, after flying in and out of days, over weeks and across months, he saw the sparkle of his village dawn on the horizon. It was late and he expected Katara to be asleep, but as he crossed over the wheat fields, a dark smudge registered among the field of gold, dimmed in the dark.

"Goodnight Aang," she said as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Goodnight Katara," He whispered back, carrying her home.

"Aang?" She asked, sounding more alert.

"Yes, darling?"

"You've come back." She said it like a fact, an instruction. Like every time she corrected him during their waterbending lessons.

"Of course I did! You didn't think I'd let you go through this alone did you?" he said.

"Go through what?" She asked, sounding distressed and more than a little tired.

"Life."

**A/N: After the second and third chapter I have come to see this as more of a prequel to my other story The Temptation to be Selfish. It fits. If you've read it then YAY! If not, I would be much obliged to you if you did, but it's your choice. ^^ Thank you for reading! And feel free to leave a comment, all you have to do is click the button at the bottom, and I'll give you this cookie - (::). **


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